Scuba Diving Adventure

My parents came up to visit a few weekends ago and the main reason for it was to dive at Point Reyes, Carmel. Upon entry at the Point Reyes Park, they advised us that the visibility was only 3 feet with a high swell. We were determined to go scuba diving since my parents (mainly dad but mom joined as company) drove up from L.A. for diving. We decided that we should check other portions of the Monterey Peninsula so the next stop was Lover's Point, Carmel.
We were the only scuba divers in the area (including the parking lot/beach area which is uncommom) but figured that maybe we should give it a try.

• hi •

• time to swim out •

• dad doing a final check to make sure all is OK •

So we swam a few hundred yards to see if the conditions would get better. My dad decided to first go under to check visibility to only come up after thirty seconds to declare that there was no visibility even at twenty feet down. With that realization, we both concluded that it was not worth attempting to make the dive so we swam back to shore.
And herein lays why I don't like beach diving. As we got closer to the shore, I crawled on all fours to slowly move out of the water but took out the regulator, placed my mask on top of my head and breathed in huge gasps of air. For about those three seconds, it was the calmest moment that I could ask for... until the set of waves decided to come behind me and wipe me off all fours and I had to struggle with all the gear, trying to get the regulator back in and not lose my mask.
Valuable lesson learned! Do not take off the regulator and mask until I am fully out of the water. I have never been pounded so much before by the waves. It took about an additional ten minutes for me to grab my mask, regulator and get out of the water because every time I was able to gain some sense of balance, came another wave. Don't think that I'll be doing another beach dive anytime soon, it's just not fun with the waves!
I am itching to go diving so I will be heading down to L.A. at the end of July to dive Catalina Island. I am really looking forward to that! In the meantime, here is a picture of my mom doing what she does while waiting for us to get out of the water.... making warm Ramen for us! YAY!

Scuba Diving Made Easy

By definition, Scuba Diving is the use of self contained, underwater breathing apparatus and as such was named by the uses of this equipment. When an individual going underwater for long periods of time it is essential that you have equipment to breath.

Sometimes diving takes place very deep under the sea and it wouldn't be practical or even feasible to come up for air every half minute when you've run out of oxygen in your lungs. The diver wears all this equipment on his back and swims underwater with fins on the feet for easier mobility in the water much like a fish has fins.

The History of Diving

Scuba diving has been around for a long time already and was mainly designed and created to have purpose in the world wars or to be utilized in battle. The soldiers in those times used something similar to scuba diving equipment however it was called a frogman. A doctor developed this in the era of WWII by the name of Christian Lambertsen and although scuba diving is used for many reasons today, it is becoming even more popular with the advancements that it is making in the recent decades.

Risks Associated with Scuba Diving

There are many risks associated with scuba diving that may seem that they are not risks however changes in air pressure is probably the most dangerous risk facing scuba diving with the exception of getting eaten by a shark. Changes in pressure in the water can cause such extreme pressure that it can rupture an eardrum or do damage that is even less desirable.

Every part of your body is required to be equalized by the pressure surrounding you depending on the depth of water you are in and if you are changing water depths. Another common known scuba diving problem is called oxygen toxicity, which is especially dangerous, and life threatening in that it can cause seizures and has often resulted in the diver drowning.

However like any other accident, this is a completely preventable issue by following diving instructions properly and safely. Nitrogen narcosis can affect a diver when he gets to sixty-six feet and generally dissipates immediately as the diver sinks lower than this depth. There are many dangers that face a diver and it is wise to get professional guidance.

Stylish Diving Watches for Everyone

ime is of the essence, and this is why we rely so much on watches. We rely on watches to tell us what time of day it is. We rely on watches to tell us how long we have been working, or sleeping, or traveling, and even eating.

Even people who explore the deep blue need watches.

Diving watches are designed primarily for divers who explore the depths of the deep blue sea. These are not ordinary watches we wear every day. These watches are designed to withstand water pressure. They are not like typical wristwatches that are normally water-sensitive. These watches are designed in such a way that they are able to tell the time without being damaged by water. Diving watches may be used by scuba divers in waters as deep as 200 to 500 feet.

These watches are usually made of high quality rubber material and employ a screw-down crown design that secures it to your wrist. The rubber material of the watch band protects the watches from deterioration due to water salinity.

Nowadays, diving watches have become more than a diver’s must-have. These intricately-designed yet simply-fashioned watches have become stylish fashion alternatives for both men and women. They have become regular style staples and are even worn every single day.

If in the past, there were only very few brands and designs of diving watches, nowadays, numerous brands and styles are available in the market. Some designs are meant for men while others are fashionably-designed with feminine features for women. Aside from functioning as a diver’s watch, these watches also carry various features, most of which depend on the brand and the user (men or women).

Diving watches of the more popular brands and designs are those made by Citizen, Seiko, Luminox, Tag Heuer, and Swiss Army. Most people who opt for reasonably priced yet stylish dive watches go for either St. Moritz or the ever popular Timex brand.

Although many watch shops carry and sell a varied line fashionable diving watches, for cheap, discounted options, the best choice would be to go online and find the perfect style that complements your fashion.

Diving Info Lembeh

When is the best time of year to dive Lembeh Straits ? By virtue of our unique geographic location, Lembeh Strait offers fantastic year-round diving. Although there can be strong currents running through the Strait at some points of the day, there are always areas which are protected and comfortable to dive. Lembeh is also protected from big swells and most of the monsoon winds, which makes it comfortably ‘divable’ all year round. but there is certain seasonality in critters caused by the changing trade winds.

Water Temperature Water temperature can varyvaries by only a few degrees throughout the year. It lingers between 29- 28oC between October to March. Then it drops slightly in months April, May, June and September to 27-26oC. The and the coldest months are July and August, with 25-26oC in the water temperatures. The air temperature is more or less constant during the year. A 5 mm full wetsuit is recommended.

Visibility Visibility varies between sites and depending on the time of year. , It fluctuatesing between 5-30 meters. Visibility is higher at the more open-water northern sites, while it usually is 12-15 meters at the most popular central “muck-diving” sites. The visibility is lowest when the temperature is at its highest in January and in the beginning of February. In March the visibility improves dramaticallyradically. October to December is the period of the best visibility. However, please note that most muck diving is very “up-close and personal,” so even at minimum visibility you will still have an amazing dive experience.

Weather and Critters There can be swells during January and February in the north of the Strait and we might not be able to dive the true coral sites every day. The swells subside in March and it is easier to photograph small critters, such as Pontohi pigmy seahorse in the shallows. March to May, the weather is generally good to dive all around the Lembeh Island. This is also the time we might be lucky to see a whale shark or even a whale. There isare skipjack tuna schooling on the outer side of Lembeh. April to October is considered as the best critter season. The visibility is lower and the temperature drops down gradually to 26- 24 Celsius in July, which may be the reasons there are more critters. As a few examples, At this is the time we find thee most Hairy frog fish, robust ghost pipefish, cephalopods etc.. July is the months mimic octopus are seen has been seen mating and between January to July, Fflamboyant cuttlefish are most abundant. You can be lucky and see them mating, laying eggs or hatchling.

Dive Certification Open Water certification, Cmas * diver or qualifying certification from another training agency is adequate for diving in Lembeh. You must hold an We require specialty Enriched Air certification to dive Nitrox. You can do your Enriched Air specialty training or additional general dive training here. WIf you haven’t dived in a while and want to get re-acquianted with your equipment, we can arrange a check-out dive on athe house reef for you upon request. for the charge of $ 15.

Gear to Bring With You No Text yet...

Rental gear No Text yet...

Recompression Chamber There is a recompression chamber in Manado, 1.5 hours car drive from Lembeh.

Tips Tips, if you’d like to show your appreciation for your dive guide and the crew, there is a tip box in the dive center. As a guideline, $10 per person per day is recommended. Please do not tip your dive guide directly; the tips will be divided among the dive team proportionally every month.

Refund on pre-paid dives Pre-paid dives are non-refundable and non-transferable (except in the case of extenuating circumstances and at management’s discretion).